Writer Sanctum
Writer's Haven => Quill and Feather Pub [Public] => Topic started by: Shoe on October 04, 2018, 12:39:28 AM
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There are many reports of missing "buy" buttons on our product pages.
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They seem to be testing a new option that shows the "Read for Free" button if you're a KU subscriber. There's a link to other purchase options below that.
Something was funky this morning, in that it was showing a blank box on first page load for me. But if I refreshed the page, the Read for Free option appeared.
There must be some A/B testing going on as well, because I'm looking at a KU book showing the standard Buy button right now, and it was definitely displaying the Read for Free button earlier this morning.
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My new release cant be bought at the moment. Neither can my last one. But those I checked of the rest seem to be ok.
Bad bad Amazon! :rant
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Reloading does work.
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Reloading does work.
Concur. Must be a random glitch.
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I was just checking one of my novels and the buy button is missing although the 'Buy for others' button is there. I checked some of my other novels as well as some other authors, and there seems to be a large number missing, although some have them.
Anyone else noticed this?
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I see Buy buttons. Can you share links to ones without?
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Has the KU button but not the Buy button.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01GIO8UFS/ref=series_rw_dp_sw
Another with a KU button but no buy button:
https://www.amazon.com/Stonemasons-Tale-Oxford-Medieval-Mysteries-ebook/dp/B07F7P537Q/
It looks as though you can get the buy button if you click on 'other purchase options'. So maybe it is only KU novels that don't have a Buy button on the page.
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It shows a Buy button for me.
I'm looking at your Author page and all your books there have a Buy button right on the page. Is that new? I don't remember that. Or maybe I'm forgetting.
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Maybe Amazon playing around with Beta testing, taking the buy button off the main page of KU novels?
I am seeing no KU novels at the moment with the Buy button in the regular place. I have to click on "other options" under the Read Free button.
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Are you a KU subscriber? I'm not. Maybe that makes a difference?
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Yes, I am but I've always had the buy button below the KU button. Just a sec & I'll take a screenshot. grint
(http://i1176.photobucket.com/albums/x333/JRTomlin/screen_zpsewgutaye.png)
You might be able to read in the screenshot but below the Read for Free button there is a 'see other buying options' button instead of a Buy button. Definitely new. I borrowed a KU book last night and it had a buy button.
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Looks like beta-testing. See the "See purchase options" link below the KU borrow button? Looks like an effort to channel people into KU borrowing.
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Another thread on the topic: https://writersanctum.com/index.php?topic=620.0
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Yep, that's how it looks to me.
Sorry I didn't see the other thread when I posted. Maybe they can be combined. I don't want to delete this one since it has posts.
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If you click on that "see purchase options" link, the buy buttons show up.
(https://scontent-sjc3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/43103395_10102491385600094_4783579160893194240_o.jpg?_nc_cat=100&oh=6744114e592b620ceb14fa29e042bf38&oe=5C545CD4)
(https://scontent-sjc3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/43124188_10102491385769754_981828901095342080_o.jpg?_nc_cat=104&oh=a35e5da45d012afe661f54a835890c1d&oe=5C4D851B)
Seems like an effort to discourage KU books from building readership outside the program.
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Frankly, that makes me glad I'm on my way out of KU.
That could be a nasty hit to people who sell a lot of their novels in addition to KU.
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Yeah (sigh) I'm seeing it as well. Personally I hate it and hope they dump it.
Definitely a factor as I slowly move my work out of KU. :icon_sad:
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Amazon's main strength right now is that other retailers are kind of dumb.
If they end up trying to push people into becoming KU subscribers, I think that will turn off people that just want to buy a book.
I've been a customer and a Prime customer. In the past, there was little difference. It was great being in Prime because you got free shipping so if you tended to make a lot of purchases, it made sense to join Prime.
But then they added more features to Prime, much of which I don't care about. And there are no levels of Prime, so I can't just subscribe at the free shipping level or something. So now that Prime is more expensive, I'd have to be ordering much more to make it worthwhile.
But I don't. So, I am no longer a Prime member and I purchase less frequently.
And, when I do purchase, I am treated like a second class citizen. Before, whether I was Prime or not, my orders shipped promptly. Right now, I have an order with an expected delivery date of October 3rd to October 5th. I know it's not arriving today because it hasn't even shipped yet.
When I order from other places, they ship it right away. I placed that Amazon order last week and placed an order from a different site the same day. Amazon's fulfillment center is maybe an hour's drive from me. The other site is several states away. I went with the cheapest delivery option. My order from the other site arrived yesterday. My Amazon order still hasn't shipped.
Maybe Amazon wants to weed out the non-Prime buyers. I don't know. But it leaves a huge opening for someone else to step in and take buyers away from Amazon. It could be that it's already happening and Amazon just doesn't realize it yet.
Things are cyclical. I imagine someone will disrupt Amazon just like Amazon disrupted everything else.
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Has the KU button but not the Buy button.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01GIO8UFS/ref=series_rw_dp_sw
Another with a KU button but no buy button:
https://www.amazon.com/Stonemasons-Tale-Oxford-Medieval-Mysteries-ebook/dp/B07F7P537Q/
It looks as though you can get the buy button if you click on 'other purchase options'. So maybe it is only KU novels that don't have a Buy button on the page.
They both show Buy buttons for me. Weird.
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It seems to be people who are in Kindle Unlimited who don't see the Buy button. I can't imagine a better way to push people out of KU if it becomes permanent.
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Someone at Amazon is reading this thread. Just received an eMail that my order is shipping today and scheduled for delivery tomorrow. :shocked:
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:banana-riding-llama-smiley-em
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Someone at Amazon is reading this thread. Just received an eMail that my order is shipping today and scheduled for delivery tomorrow. :shocked:
This thread is in public, so a google alert could have gone off for someone.
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There's also a thread about this in the Private section called One-Click Change in KU Buttons. It was started on the 21st, so this isn't a brand new issue.
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It just appeared on my novels so I assume it must be a gradual rollout.
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Maybe Amazon wants to weed out the non-Prime buyers. I don't know. But it leaves a huge opening for someone else to step in and take buyers away from Amazon. It could be that it's already happening and Amazon just doesn't realize it yet.
Things are cyclical. I imagine someone will disrupt Amazon just like Amazon disrupted everything else.
Target offers free shipping on any order if you have a REDcard. Walmart has free 2 day shipping on orders over $35. I only order from Amazon if I can't find something on either store.
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Someone at Amazon is reading this thread. Just received an eMail that my order is shipping today and scheduled for delivery tomorrow. :shocked:
This thread is in public, so a google alert could have gone off for someone.
I placed another order this week and two of the items shipped the next day. We'll see how the rest fares. Maybe Amazon is starting to get its act together. LOL.